tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58065609927217917892018-12-19T00:26:39.127-06:00Grandma Fifi: Independent Costco and Aldi BlogGranny Fifi, shopping at Costco and Aldi and reviewing products; groceries, toys, craft supplies, housewares. I shop so you don't have to....Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.comBlogger373125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-40856097008017356232018-05-22T07:21:00.001-05:002018-05-22T07:21:18.791-05:00Tiny Update <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Ever since Google stopped supporting the Blogger app, it’s been much harder to blog. The blog has fallen into disrepair, and I’m sorry.<br /><br />Also, my husband retired.<br /><br />And, I started shopping at Aldi, which took my concentration off of Costco and diluted my posts.<br /><br />In May, &nbsp;my Aldi closed temporarily to expand, so I’m back to a one store focus and thinking again about the blog.<br /><br />Just wishing it weren’t so darn hard to do on my phone.<br /><br /><br /></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-73564722940126703712017-01-15T09:38:00.001-06:002017-01-15T09:38:44.634-06:00Raisins at Costco and Aldi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N1z5Px1zwgQ/WHuXMdNyqkI/AAAAAAAAi8E/CVMO0x_Y5Hw7of6mtPP7XyV5Ej5am0-GQCLcB/s1600/raisins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N1z5Px1zwgQ/WHuXMdNyqkI/AAAAAAAAi8E/CVMO0x_Y5Hw7of6mtPP7XyV5Ej5am0-GQCLcB/s320/raisins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>After <a href="http://www.grandmafifi.com/2016/12/nut-milk-aldi-vs-costco.html" target="_blank">my nut milk expose</a>, I was prepared to test many Costco products against Aldi, and expected to find Aldi winning. <br /><br />But not so fast.<br /><br />I ran out of Costco Sun-Maid raisins, hard to believe because I thought I had a lifetime supply (I freeze the ones I'm not using), so I tried the Aldi product. <br /><br />How different could raisins be?<br /><br />Turns out, pretty different. &nbsp;The Sun-Maid raisins were plumper, which I expected because of more expensive processing, but, since I use them in cooking, I didn't think plumpness would matter. &nbsp;They plump up when cooked.<br /><br />But the taste of the Costco product was definitely better.<br /><br />The generic Aldi brand raisins were slightly sweet, but mostly sour. &nbsp;The Sun-Maid raisins had a sweet but complicated taste, like good wine. <br /><br />In this taste test, Costco Sun-Maid won.</div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-19726087385518397492016-12-20T09:34:00.002-06:002016-12-20T09:34:31.684-06:00Nut Milk: Aldi vs. Costco<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABhRq3KgRN8/WFlObHtSLyI/AAAAAAAAi3k/0Xz6VKT65egM68xi0nsRczLdbbJKSWdIACLcB/s1600/nutmilk%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABhRq3KgRN8/WFlObHtSLyI/AAAAAAAAi3k/0Xz6VKT65egM68xi0nsRczLdbbJKSWdIACLcB/s320/nutmilk%2Bcopy.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>My local Aldi is on my way to Costco; I'm not sure what drew me inside the first time. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/business/30aldi.html" target="_blank">I think I read an article somewhere about the culture (shopping carts are loaned for .25 cents? &nbsp;Bags cost money?)</a>&nbsp;Or, it's possible I came across a <a href="https://thefriendlyfig.com/2014/09/19/vegan-on-a-budget-a-guide-to-shopping-at-aldi/" target="_blank">vegan blog</a> about how to shop there. Because. Vegan. (You think I'm kidding.)<br /><br />The first product that caused me to stop at Aldi, as a regular, not a tourist, was eggs. &nbsp;My local Costco stopped selling eggs in quantities less than 2 dozen. &nbsp;(Did I mention? Vegan?) &nbsp;A dozen eggs at Aldi was .69 cents, and Jacques could have fresher eggs. &nbsp;So a started to swing by for eggs.<br /><br />Near the eggs, Aldi sells half-gallon Friendly Farms Almond milk for $1.99. As part of the previously mentioned veganism, I'm drinking nut milk. &nbsp;Which, of course, I've been buying from Costco. &nbsp;My Costco sells Silk, three half gallons, for $7.59. &nbsp;I was convinced the Costco product must be better, because it cost more, &nbsp;but I decided to try the Aldi's as an experiment. &nbsp;Seemed OK, but I doubted my judgement, so I did a blind taste test on Jacques and myself. &nbsp;Let me just put it out there that Jacques is not a big nut milk person, but he couldn't tell the difference and neither could I. Nutritional information looked identical. <br /><br />As part of my research for this column, I read a blog from 2014 that said Aldi Friendly Farms nut milk contained carrageenan, but that is not on the ingredients list of either the Friendly Farms Nut Milk or the Silk Nut Milk from Costco at this time.<br /><br />Aldi has been a learning curve. after about 7 visits, I found myself returning as a regular, knowing some of the regulars' behaviors, like not getting a new cart from the shopping cart rack. &nbsp;You hand a quarter to a finished shopper who is on her way to the rack. &nbsp;When you're done, you accept 25 cents from a newcomer. And remember to take your own bags inside, particularly when it's this cold.<br /><br /><br /></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-15674223408867203802016-12-15T13:49:00.002-06:002016-12-15T13:49:11.630-06:00Aldi's Winking Owl Chardonnay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4H0et-yWkV8/WFLm4-HR1fI/AAAAAAAAi2g/lw3RTI0m5w83RYeal2FWZNoG1su87KWZQCLcB/s1600/aldiwine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4H0et-yWkV8/WFLm4-HR1fI/AAAAAAAAi2g/lw3RTI0m5w83RYeal2FWZNoG1su87KWZQCLcB/s320/aldiwine.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><br />My friend's daughter, Sarah (named changed to protects privacy), wanted a group of us grandmothers to test this $3.00 Aldi, Winking Owl chardonnay. &nbsp;Sarah is planning to serve it at an open house, but the cheap price frightens her. <br /><br />We found it perfectly acceptable. <br /><br />Personally, as someone who has suffered through bad chardonnay in restaurants, I thought it was pretty good. I've stopped ordering wine in restaurants because I am often served something, regardless of cost, that is just plain, well, to put it politely, swill.<br /><br />Now, when I eat out, I order a cocktail, or two. &nbsp;Much more likely to get something pleasurably drinkable.<br /><br />Back to Winking Owl, we thought it was fine, and the label was cute.<br /><br /><br /></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-54791299424660042612016-11-03T15:45:00.000-05:002016-11-03T15:45:21.209-05:00Olay Regenerist at Costco with Finally More Serious SPF<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Ever since I signed a contract with my dermatologist saying I would always use a moisturizer with 50 SPF in the summer and 30 SPF in the winter, I haven't been able to use my favorite moisturizer, the Olay Total Effects <a href="http://www.grandmafifi.com/2013/10/olay-total-effects-moisturizer-spf-15.html" target="_blank">that I wrote about before.</a> &nbsp;Costco has had no suitable substitute.<br /><br />So I was thrilled a couple weeks ago, when my local West Nashville Costco stocked the Olay Regenerist 30 SPF. &nbsp;I'm going to ignore that the price tag ended in 7, which usually means the product is on its way out and on sale. I hope that this product is here for the long term.<br /><br />I've been using the Olay Regenerist SPF 30 for a couple weeks, and I like it and can't tell a difference from the Olay Regenerist 50 SPF that I was using.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b8mdG9bzAIc/WBuf36hZUAI/AAAAAAAAiZ4/MX_3RuOnt38lt3lXX5KgqckN4cn8HchAACEw/s1600/spf%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b8mdG9bzAIc/WBuf36hZUAI/AAAAAAAAiZ4/MX_3RuOnt38lt3lXX5KgqckN4cn8HchAACEw/s320/spf%2Bcopy.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-7747028496345238532016-10-26T20:52:00.001-05:002016-10-26T20:52:15.723-05:00Halloween Costumes at Costco<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Last year, my granddaughter changed her mind about what she wanted to be for Halloween. &nbsp;My daughter-in-law had purchased last year's costume from an on-line retailer, and returning it was not practical. <br /><br />This year, my granddaughter's costume came from Costco. &nbsp;By purchasing from Costco, the outfit can be returned at the last minute. &nbsp;But my granddaughter hasn't wavered in her choice.<br /><br />Her older sister is going as Alice....<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kUg-in-2NhI/WBFcmxjuQRI/AAAAAAAAiM8/N8rYp4a6S7c-twnDNsFFKZe6Retbo1pXgCLcB/s1600/moreemmiequeen%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kUg-in-2NhI/WBFcmxjuQRI/AAAAAAAAiM8/N8rYp4a6S7c-twnDNsFFKZe6Retbo1pXgCLcB/s320/moreemmiequeen%2Bcopy.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-24208164110404333202016-10-24T12:06:00.000-05:002016-10-24T12:21:14.715-05:00Grandpa's Birthday Bash<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); font-family: &quot;.sf ui display&quot;; font-size: 28px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;.sfuidisplay-semibold&quot;; font-weight: bold;">I'm glad I didn't start buying the Costco Fleming's gift cards in the summer.&nbsp; I was going to buy $100 at a time and work my way up to the circa $800 that a dinner at Flemings would have cost. &nbsp;</span></div><div style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); font-family: &quot;.sf ui display&quot;; font-size: 28px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 34px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;.sfuidisplay-semibold&quot;; font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></div><div style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); font-family: &quot;.sf ui display&quot;; font-size: 28px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;.sfuidisplay-semibold&quot;; font-weight: bold;">We did <a href="http://www.grandmafifi.com/2014/10/costco-and-flemings-for-win.html" target="_blank">Flemings two years ago, and I wrote in the blog </a>about what a great decision that was. &nbsp;This year, instead, at Grandpa's request, we opted for staying home and getting pizza.&nbsp; (<a href="http://www.costco.com/Fleming%27s%C2%AE-Prime-Steakhouse-Two-%2450-Gift-Cards.product.100038757.html?pageSize=96&amp;catalogId=10701&amp;keyword=flemings&amp;langId=-1&amp;storeId=10301" target="_blank">The Fleming's gift cards are no longer in my store but still available from</a>&nbsp;Costco&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.costco.com/Fleming%27s%C2%AE-Prime-Steakhouse-Two-%2450-Gift-Cards.product.100038757.html?pageSize=96&amp;catalogId=10701&amp;keyword=flemings&amp;langId=-1&amp;storeId=10301" style="font-family: &quot;.sfuidisplay-semibold&quot;; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">on-line.</a><span style="font-family: &quot;.sfuidisplay-semibold&quot;; font-weight: bold;">)</span></div><div style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); font-family: &quot;.sf ui display&quot;; font-size: 28px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 34px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;.sfuidisplay-semibold&quot;; font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></div><div style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); font-family: &quot;.sf ui display&quot;; font-size: 28px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;.sfuidisplay-semibold&quot;; font-weight: bold;">We used a party room in Grandpa's apartment building, bought disposable plates, glasses, tablecloths, and silverware from Costco. &nbsp;The Asti and Pinot Noir wines and Yuengling beer came from Costco. Probably should have gotten the pepperoni pizzas there, too. &nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;.sfuidisplay-semibold&quot;; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;.sfuidisplay-semibold&quot;; font-weight: bold;">Here's Bob (Jacques) with some of the party ware:</span></div><div style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); font-family: &quot;.sf ui display&quot;; font-size: 28px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;.sfuidisplay-semibold&quot;; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); font-family: &quot;.sf ui display&quot;; font-size: 28px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F_IAaSlLuLI/WA5BpzUQHFI/AAAAAAAAiMA/OqugDMyG-H4wcmq4DwMmvgnB9aehA8UowCLcB/s1600/bobphotoshopplates%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F_IAaSlLuLI/WA5BpzUQHFI/AAAAAAAAiMA/OqugDMyG-H4wcmq4DwMmvgnB9aehA8UowCLcB/s1600/bobphotoshopplates%2Bcopy.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: &quot;.sfuidisplay-semibold&quot;; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); font-family: &quot;.sf ui display&quot;; font-size: 28px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 34px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;.sfuidisplay-semibold&quot;; font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></div><div style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); font-family: &quot;.sf ui display&quot;; font-size: 28px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: &quot;.sfuidisplay-semibold&quot;; font-weight: bold;">Of course, I have plenty of paper goods left over. &nbsp;The wine and beer seem to be gone....</span></div></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-71509340784032265152016-10-20T18:16:00.000-05:002016-10-20T18:57:23.350-05:00Back from Vacation; From Cusco to Costco<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">With the Christmas season starting, it's a great time to find new products at Costco! &nbsp;And we're getting the gang back together to start the blog back up.<br><br>I didn't realize that Addicted to Costco hadn't been posting, which is such a loss, I'm not sure what's up with Kimberly, and I will try to find out.<br><br>I was happy to see <a href="http://costcowineblog.com/" target="_blank">Costco Wine Blog</a> is still going strong, as is <a href="http://costcotuu.com/" target="_blank">Costcotuu</a><a href="http://costcotuu./">.</a> <br><br>The photo explains my vacation a bit; instead of being at Costco, I've been as Cusco! &nbsp;</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X8ygjHJIRd0/WAlQXIfVQGI/AAAAAAAAiHU/ikSi3D0t3fM/s640/blogger-image-1334031983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X8ygjHJIRd0/WAlQXIfVQGI/AAAAAAAAiHU/ikSi3D0t3fM/s640/blogger-image-1334031983.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">On the right is my college roommate, Sam, Jacques didn't make this trip.</div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-25861996143205496112016-02-06T07:19:00.001-06:002016-02-06T07:19:35.922-06:00Blog on vacationWhen I started this blog, Costvo had almost no presence on social media, and I was trying to learn about blogging. Both those things have changed. &nbsp;<div><br></div><div>I may be back, but my interests have changed. I still love Costco, but have realized most of the fun shopping there is in finding the products by yourself. &nbsp;Until later, thanks for reading.</div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-41110616680236871032015-10-16T11:14:00.001-05:002015-10-16T11:14:32.744-05:00American Girl at Costco<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-f1OGoG1ayjM/ViEiZzJX35I/AAAAAAAAD1M/evElmpOE998/s640/blogger-image-1601471991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-f1OGoG1ayjM/ViEiZzJX35I/AAAAAAAAD1M/evElmpOE998/s640/blogger-image-1601471991.jpg"></a></div>If you have need of American Girl items, (and who with a granddaughter doesn't?) run to your nearest Costco. &nbsp;My local store sold out of the $80 for $100 gift cards in a couple days. &nbsp;The cards were also gone at Brentwood, the next nearest store to me. A very few (18) more cards are coming next week. Staff told me customers were buying 10 at a time.</div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-56788850099133364902015-06-05T08:51:00.001-05:002015-06-05T17:35:09.072-05:00Choosing a Chandelier (not giving advice)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v9Mu3rCiQ1s/VXIiEcSOLiI/AAAAAAAADy0/Ufn9p45Qn_k/s640/blogger-image-1990750358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v9Mu3rCiQ1s/VXIiEcSOLiI/AAAAAAAADy0/Ufn9p45Qn_k/s640/blogger-image-1990750358.jpg"></a></div></div><br></div>I've developed a yen for a new chandelier. &nbsp;I'm not sure where this came from, but, now that it's here, it's like an addiction. &nbsp;I must have seen thousands of chandeliers in the last couple weeks.<div><br></div><div>After looking at many 1930's slipper lights, and the 1930's take on an empire style (above), I decided my best bet was a Marie Therese style and was prepared to buy the Pecaso small chandelier - until I saw this, for not a whole lot more than the Costco light, at the Clearing House, a local antique consignment shop,</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OM7HlE7QOZ0/VXIiCZ-qomI/AAAAAAAADyk/ysQul2mz2hk/s640/blogger-image--742124396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OM7HlE7QOZ0/VXIiCZ-qomI/AAAAAAAADyk/ysQul2mz2hk/s640/blogger-image--742124396.jpg"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OM7HlE7QOZ0/VXIiCZ-qomI/AAAAAAAADyk/ysQul2mz2hk/s640/blogger-image--742124396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OKtia8HP9ZU/VXIiFY80M7I/AAAAAAAADy8/FmZ2c7KHbUE/s640/blogger-image--1540066963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OKtia8HP9ZU/VXIiFY80M7I/AAAAAAAADy8/FmZ2c7KHbUE/s640/blogger-image--1540066963.jpg"></a></div></div>Just because it was way too big and would have totally sucked all the energy from the house, Jacques didn't like it. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I decided on an antique French tole light, also at the Clearing House, but after sleeping on it, I decided that wasn't right either.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lxcWJisFdiw/VXIiDavKW1I/AAAAAAAADys/tCbZQXS_lSc/s640/blogger-image--2009383263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lxcWJisFdiw/VXIiDavKW1I/AAAAAAAADys/tCbZQXS_lSc/s640/blogger-image--2009383263.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'm back to the Pecaso lights and am going to try the pendant which is on sale right now. &nbsp;It's not as nice as the Schonbek $4,000 pendant, but maybe it will work.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TixZ8e4zuKE/VXIjks9u7NI/AAAAAAAAD0M/E5m5wwNKIRk/s640/blogger-image--2270305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TixZ8e4zuKE/VXIjks9u7NI/AAAAAAAAD0M/E5m5wwNKIRk/s640/blogger-image--2270305.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-56669266338838393142015-05-26T09:28:00.003-05:002015-05-26T10:17:16.459-05:00Edgar Evins State Park Weekend (Costco!)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZOMOrcErBOU/VWSKbd-kLzI/AAAAAAAADxI/kpvHaiFtFD0/s640/blogger-image-83087596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZOMOrcErBOU/VWSKbd-kLzI/AAAAAAAADxI/kpvHaiFtFD0/s640/blogger-image-83087596.jpg"></a></div>Planning a weekend for five cabin/campsite groups, five little children, ten adults, perfect for shopping at Costco!<div><br></div><div>One stop shopping at Costco made the weekend more fun. The Costco pool noodles were such a hit that my Brooklyn family thought about trying to take them home on the plane.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-89v857NDqsU/VWSMpuGNX7I/AAAAAAAADxc/CuYkf4wXyYc/s640/blogger-image-1550589811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-89v857NDqsU/VWSMpuGNX7I/AAAAAAAADxc/CuYkf4wXyYc/s640/blogger-image-1550589811.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>For meals, three cheese pizzas the first night, multi-pack organic chicken breasts the second night, and salmon fillets Sunday night. &nbsp;Packs of asparagus and the 90 second rice packets made a nice meal easy. &nbsp;Of course, Costco Chinet paper plates.<br><br>I purchased the Keurig, 2.0, currently on sale at the Nashville Costco; the Keurig allowed everyone to have coffee at will, which was perfect as we had East Coast and Central time risers. &nbsp;The Keurig came with sample packets, so our different coffee preferences were met. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Unfortunately, we had one exception to our one stop shop: &nbsp;we had to get marshmellows and graham crackers for s'mores at a regular old supermarket. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UsScB1RFAGg/VWSOe2uNOoI/AAAAAAAADxo/7wb4--t-P10/s640/blogger-image-909709789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UsScB1RFAGg/VWSOe2uNOoI/AAAAAAAADxo/7wb4--t-P10/s640/blogger-image-909709789.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>But, of course, the Hershey bars came from Costco!</div><div><br></div></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-79435289259094497752015-05-17T10:49:00.001-05:002015-05-17T17:54:01.297-05:00Apple Watch<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gk8oedFBTpg/VVi4dzo-2kI/AAAAAAAADwQ/eadPxKEWmeY/s640/blogger-image-2145660629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gk8oedFBTpg/VVi4dzo-2kI/AAAAAAAADwQ/eadPxKEWmeY/s640/blogger-image-2145660629.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I've had my Aapple watch for almost a month, and I like it. &nbsp;Because I'm of a certain age, I was used to wearing a watch and that part is not new, (for some reviewers even wearing a watch is new) but the extra functions of the apple watch are new.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My favorite function so far is Apple pay. I have never figured out Apple pay on my iPhone, but, on the watch, Apple pay is simple and much faster than cash or credit. I just hold the watch over the scanner and click a side button twice. Cashiers usually look startled at how simple it is. I've read that Apple is asking retailers that sell Apple products to take Apple pay, and I very much wish Costco would.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Texting is the other function I like. You won't like watch texting&nbsp;<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If you don't like being constantly accessible,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">texts come on the watch and the natural tendency is to respond immediately. &nbsp;The reply option on the watch includes canned responses, emojis and voice recognition. As other reviewers have said, voice recognition works much better on the watch than on the Apple phone, so it's possible to text efficiently from the watch.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">To me, the exercise interface is not as good as the Fitbit. &nbsp;I only checked the steps on the Fitbit and that measurement is slightly hidden on the watch.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">On the plus side, the watch is much less creepy than Google Glass, which I had, tried, and passed on to my son.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So far, I'm an Apple watch user, haven't felt like leaving it at home yet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-41256083987799090782015-05-05T12:50:00.001-05:002015-05-06T14:08:19.868-05:00Cafe Spice Chicken Masala at Costco<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R-RdKC4KMz0/VUjE9ZntbEI/AAAAAAAADvg/PFGvw06cn_M/s640/blogger-image--1287645147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R-RdKC4KMz0/VUjE9ZntbEI/AAAAAAAADvg/PFGvw06cn_M/s640/blogger-image--1287645147.jpg"></a></div>This Cafe Spice Chicken Tikka Masala is seriously good-not just the chicken masala, but the rice as well.<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I recently ate at <a href="http://chauhannashville.com/" target="_blank">Chauhan Ale and Masala House</a>&nbsp;in Nashville, a wonderful new restaurant by Maneet Chauhan, and one of the best things was the rice. I kept exclaiming: this rice is great! this rice is great! how do people make this rice? But I was ignored, (maybe because by then we had each had a couple of the fabulous house cocktails).&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Anyway, Cafe Spice rice has the same taste and consistency.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Cafe Spice claims to be restaurant quality, and I agree it is very, very good, better than some of Nashville's Indian restaurants. The tikka masala was so good that, if Costco carries only the tikka masala, I may have to look for other Cafe Spice products in the regular supermarket (shudder).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">One package fed two of us. &nbsp;Spiciness is medium and might be too hot for most children.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I did not see this product today (May 5, 2015) at my local Nashville Costco, hopefully it will be there soon. I was sent the product for review, but wasn't compensated otherwise.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-20705681730244912482015-05-02T20:47:00.001-05:002015-05-03T14:52:37.969-05:00Phones at the Costco Kiosk<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GxK1siq_10o/VUZ8hMRikXI/AAAAAAAADvM/woM9LIepDec/s640/blogger-image--1289911043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GxK1siq_10o/VUZ8hMRikXI/AAAAAAAADvM/woM9LIepDec/s640/blogger-image--1289911043.jpg"></a></div>So maybe not everything is better from Costco. Perhaps buying a phone has gotten so complicated that Costco is just not the way to go. I have AT&amp;T with an iPhone, and, for my last two phone upgrades, I wanted to buy from Costco, but I just couldn't make it work. &nbsp;<div><br></div><div>Phone plans are so complicated now that &nbsp;the representatives at the Costco kiosks can't understand all the features of all the plans of all the companies they represent. &nbsp;I've been told point blank that Costco couldn't get AT&amp;T to do something that I was able to get the AT&amp;T store to do easily. I don't know if AT&amp;T doesn't offer Costco customers the same benefits through the kiosks that they offer through their stores, but I suspect that they do not.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Also, the new advertising campaign with the friendly spokesperson seems to be more than just lip service. Service was noticeably improved at the AT&amp;T store I visited.<br><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-42433162221228026882015-04-23T10:41:00.001-05:002015-04-23T11:31:45.774-05:00Petite Palmiers at Costco<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aLYqjhL4tow/VTkVbcKzwFI/AAAAAAAADt8/2qyeZQY7F6I/s640/blogger-image-897162136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aLYqjhL4tow/VTkVbcKzwFI/AAAAAAAADt8/2qyeZQY7F6I/s640/blogger-image-897162136.jpg"></a></div>The Driscoll's strawberries at Costco this week smelled so good that I found myself walking around Costco looking for shortcakes. &nbsp;<div><br></div><div>I briefly considered the Walker's shortbread, but decided these Petite Palmiers from Sugar Bowl Bakery might be closer to the traditional round cake for strawberry shortcake. First, the bad news, these are too crispy to work as a base for strawberry shortcake. Second, the good news, the taste works great with berries.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I served them plain together, but if you have a sweet tooth, or the fruit isn't perfectly ripe, you might want to cut up and sugar the fruit first.</div><div><br></div><div>I'm so happy I tried the Palmiers. These big, but light, cookies (110 calories each) are a perfect compliment to fruit -&nbsp;<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">not too sweet. &nbsp;The package was $6.99 for 2 pounds at my Nashville Costco. &nbsp;I ended up freezing 2/3 of the cookies to serve with other seasonal fruits. Peaches up next.</span></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-26328358862339949432015-04-11T12:29:00.001-05:002015-04-11T12:29:19.210-05:00Daydream Tulip Bulbs from Costco<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mKWJSVtM6x4/VSbDNVcTcoI/AAAAAAAADrU/xZzfwgPBMsA/s640/blogger-image--2011966505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mKWJSVtM6x4/VSbDNVcTcoI/AAAAAAAADrU/xZzfwgPBMsA/s640/blogger-image--2011966505.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I bought these Daydream tulip bulbs from Costco last fall, I think they cost about $15.00 for 50. &nbsp;Because I'm all about matchy-matchy, I planned the color to go with terra cotta tiles on the roof and pillows on the front rockers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-geRzOy3fD7Q/VSlZ3ztypfI/AAAAAAAADro/u6AVuAR3ZRA/s640/blogger-image-909281677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-geRzOy3fD7Q/VSlZ3ztypfI/AAAAAAAADro/u6AVuAR3ZRA/s640/blogger-image-909281677.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I was clear that I didn't want yellow, for yellow I would have chosen daffodils, so, if not furious, I was at least mildly put out that the bulbs came up bright yellow. Thinking the yellow bulbs had gotten mistakenly packed in the Daydream tulip bag,&nbsp;<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I was within hours of returning the bag for my money back,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">when the yellow tulips began to turn color! &nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2tQMO9jtx7g/VSlZ4_OSBjI/AAAAAAAADrw/kQ0_HetghIg/s640/blogger-image--55857861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2tQMO9jtx7g/VSlZ4_OSBjI/AAAAAAAADrw/kQ0_HetghIg/s640/blogger-image--55857861.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">You can see this phenomenon in the photo. Once again, a Costco product was ahead of me and delivered even more than I expected. The frequency with which this happens is&nbsp;<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">actually kind of embarrassing&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-76094322379816400642015-04-02T19:53:00.001-05:002015-04-20T10:02:22.668-05:00Honey Citron Tea at Costco<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cWLAmztQ44o/VTUTrryFFHI/AAAAAAAADs4/Y4G4l_dv54A/s640/blogger-image-1734853342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cWLAmztQ44o/VTUTrryFFHI/AAAAAAAADs4/Y4G4l_dv54A/s640/blogger-image-1734853342.jpg"></a></div>This marmalade-type product intrigued me- honey citron tea? And it does make an excellent marmalade, but our favorite use is citron tea. A teaspoon in a small cup or 2 teaspoons in a large mug make a soothing hot drink, great for colds or late nights when a caffeine drink might be too much.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LYIF06LWc28/VTUTgzLDPoI/AAAAAAAADsw/7hm8PtckBRI/s640/blogger-image--860369152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LYIF06LWc28/VTUTgzLDPoI/AAAAAAAADsw/7hm8PtckBRI/s640/blogger-image--860369152.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br></div><div>Citron is an Asian fruit, similar to a lemon, but less acidic. First ingredient in the tea &nbsp;is citron (75%), but no actual "tea" appears in the ingredient list. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I paid&nbsp;<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">$5.99 for 1kg (2.2 lbs).&nbsp;</span></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-48209087783915288642015-03-18T13:42:00.001-05:002015-03-18T13:42:48.267-05:00Character pajamas at Costco<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5AH1BRgbvzs/VQnHJhtw1uI/AAAAAAAADq4/sVomtOSoywA/s640/blogger-image-1255037058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5AH1BRgbvzs/VQnHJhtw1uI/AAAAAAAADq4/sVomtOSoywA/s640/blogger-image-1255037058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-G3fcnlGb9Ls/VQnHHod44iI/AAAAAAAADqo/SA5uQ8ZhBlM/s640/blogger-image-1458508037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-G3fcnlGb9Ls/VQnHHod44iI/AAAAAAAADqo/SA5uQ8ZhBlM/s640/blogger-image-1458508037.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Summer character pajamas at Costco! I guess Frozen isn't over for everyone.</div><div><pre></pre></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">These were $9.99 at my store and a big hit with the granddaughters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xXROCackiVk/VQnHIiH1YiI/AAAAAAAADqw/YKiNNZ_ziE8/s640/blogger-image-208635875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xXROCackiVk/VQnHIiH1YiI/AAAAAAAADqw/YKiNNZ_ziE8/s640/blogger-image-208635875.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-83502928986493205252015-03-16T15:56:00.003-05:002015-03-16T16:06:48.168-05:00Kirkland Almond Butter; If ever a product made me happy this is it.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_-oCJNteBNM/VQdF5bWbufI/AAAAAAAADpo/8mZisOvC_g0/s640/blogger-image--1418849360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_-oCJNteBNM/VQdF5bWbufI/AAAAAAAADpo/8mZisOvC_g0/s640/blogger-image--1418849360.jpg"></a></div>The big reveal has occurred and now we know the replacement for the extremely expensive <a href="http://www.grandmafifi.com/2014/03/costcos-new-almond-butter-brads-organic.html?q=almond+butter" target="_blank">Brad's Organic </a>almond butter ($15.89 a jar in my Nashville Costco) and an alternative to the <a href="http://www.grandmafifi.com/2015/02/nutzo-organic-nut-and-seed-butter.html?q=almond+butter" target="_blank">Nutso, Seed and Nut Butter</a>.&nbsp;</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At my Nashville Costco, this new product has arrived: Kirkland Almond Butter!</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm so happy about this. &nbsp;The Kirkland Almond Butter has a sweeter taste than the Brad's Organic Almond Butter and is less expensive, around $10.00; however, it is not organic, and that will bother some people. Not me.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.grandmafifi.com/2013/03/almond-butter-breakfast.html?q=Almond+Butter" target="_blank">I've written before about my everyday breakfast of almond butter</a>. I'm very, very happy that the Kirkland Almond Butter is here, and I hope it stays for a long, long time.</span></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-83031681157747776132015-02-26T19:31:00.001-06:002015-03-09T18:07:30.486-05:00Nutzo Organic Nut and Seed Butter<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q2d5o7YaqR8/VPnr6HI1i1I/AAAAAAAADog/otWNjWzN218/s640/blogger-image--1713515388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q2d5o7YaqR8/VPnr6HI1i1I/AAAAAAAADog/otWNjWzN218/s640/blogger-image--1713515388.jpg"></a></div>I wanted to like this Nutzo Organic Nut and Seed butter but I didn't. &nbsp;<div><br></div><div>I love the almond butter, which has gone up to $15.89 at my Costco. I'm afraid it's going to be dropped. &nbsp;The Nutzo butter contains almonds, but also chia seeds, pumpkins seeds and others.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-16wYEfNgWtc/VO_I6UhWAxI/AAAAAAAADnk/Dqkz_xzulVM/s640/blogger-image--2129987093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-16wYEfNgWtc/VO_I6UhWAxI/AAAAAAAADnk/Dqkz_xzulVM/s640/blogger-image--2129987093.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>The consistency reminds me of peas or lentils, which is not my favorite. The flavor isn't my favorite either. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>If Costco drops the almond butter I hope they get another cashew or almond butter rather than this.&nbsp;</div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-35356018629648695562015-02-23T13:31:00.003-06:002015-02-23T15:59:38.649-06:00Pita Pal Balela Salad at Costco<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IKhhfwtslAA/VOuiyQwD0mI/AAAAAAAADmI/GGq-OOVsj-8/s640/blogger-image-1971033353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IKhhfwtslAA/VOuiyQwD0mI/AAAAAAAADmI/GGq-OOVsj-8/s640/blogger-image-1971033353.jpg"></a></div><br></div>I saw the Pita Pal Balela salad with chickpeas and black beans at my Nashville Costco and figured if we didn't like it, I could easily turn it into hummus, so I purchased. The tub is $7.99 for 38 oz. or 2.37 lbs.</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We liked it, but not well enough to consume the entire tub, I did turn part of it into hummus, using 2 cups of the mixture, blended in a Cuisinart with 1/4 cup each of tahini, olive oil, and water, but the resulting hummus was too spicy and a little tummy upsetting for me. &nbsp;(I didn't try it on Jacques, who's not a huge hummus fan to begin with.)</span><br><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think if you eat a great deal of Middle Eastern food and are not bothered by raw onions, you would like this. &nbsp;The large container is hard for a small family to consume, but, for a large party, this would be a nice side dish.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pQyHniyJ1AE/VOuixUx19cI/AAAAAAAADmA/Vs_BU53UuLg/s640/blogger-image--425096241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pQyHniyJ1AE/VOuixUx19cI/AAAAAAAADmA/Vs_BU53UuLg/s640/blogger-image--425096241.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's organic, but I'm not at the point where I care about that.</span></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-46543300667833557152015-02-18T16:53:00.001-06:002015-02-25T10:06:29.094-06:00Live Comfortably Dacron/Cotton Mattress Pad at Costco<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iKY776mb5Ls/VO3zA1ZBjwI/AAAAAAAADnQ/t63SEJ-FAhk/s640/blogger-image-652877958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iKY776mb5Ls/VO3zA1ZBjwI/AAAAAAAADnQ/t63SEJ-FAhk/s640/blogger-image-652877958.jpg"></a></div></div></div><br></div>I'm very happy with my new LIve Comfortably Platinum mattress pad, which was a product sent to me by the manufacturer with a request for a review. My old pad was 100 cotton. The replacement is 100 cotton (400 thread count) but has Dacron fill. &nbsp;You can see from the photo that it fits a deep (18 inch) mattress.<div><br></div><div>I need to admit that I have a loving relationship with Dacron. I was an extremely allergic child, and Dacron was one of the few materials that I could be around.</div><div><br></div><div>The puffy fill on the top of the pad are fluffier than my old mattress pad and more needed by my memory foam mattress which doesn't have the top padding that old-style mattresses have.</div><div><br></div><div>My Costco has these for $29.89, which seems inexpensive. The new Dacron fill mattress pad at Costco is an upgrade for me.</div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-87327088923154501382015-02-11T16:07:00.001-06:002015-02-12T11:56:41.165-06:00Dark Chocolate Covered Almond Cookies (2 of 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'm&nbsp;<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-u6kYfcoyZvQ/VNvSsiuu-QI/AAAAAAAADkI/O_duHvvMoNc/s640/blogger-image-223327372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-u6kYfcoyZvQ/VNvSsiuu-QI/AAAAAAAADkI/O_duHvvMoNc/s640/blogger-image-223327372.jpg"></a>Left&nbsp;with lots of chocolate covered almonds, I needed to develop a plan.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I thought they might substitute for the chocolate and walnuts in chocolate chip cookies. &nbsp;My experiment turned out okay. &nbsp;Because of the salt content of the candy, I removed the salt and substituted olive oil for the butter. Here's my Chocolate Covered Almond Cookie recipe:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">1 cup olive oil</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">2 eggs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3/4 cup white sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">3/4 turbinado sugar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">21/2 cups flour&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">1tsp. Baking soda</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">1 cup chocolate covered almonds&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Whisk together eggs and oil, add sugar and stir until smooth. Add flour and baking soda, beat until lumps are gone (I did this by hand.) add candy and stir until well blended. &nbsp;Put 1/4 cup mounds, 6 to a baking sheet (cookies will spread out), cook at 350 for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Let sit for 2 minutes, move to cooling rack. Store in cool and dry place, cookies are better after 48 hours.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5806560992721791789.post-37878278502429263422015-02-09T21:56:00.001-06:002015-02-09T22:08:51.498-06:00Crazy Cuizine Mandarin Orange Chicken from Costco<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8F--VdUBUkw/VNmBWpHsN7I/AAAAAAAADjM/JrfWWH27uWw/s640/blogger-image-2017478387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8F--VdUBUkw/VNmBWpHsN7I/AAAAAAAADjM/JrfWWH27uWw/s640/blogger-image-2017478387.jpg"></a></div>Ordinarily, not my style, too processed, but I needed an Asian dish for Bookclub and these were on sale at my Costco.<div><br></div><div>The breaded white meat chicken pieces taste just like sweet and sour chicken from a Chinese restaurant.</div><div><br></div><div>Each box contains 2 frozen bags of coated chicken pieces. &nbsp;I was able to serve 5 bookclubbers (admittedly one is vegetarian) with one bag, and have enough leftovers for another meal for Jacques and me.</div><div><br></div><div>For as tasty as these are, the 260 calories for one cup seems low. The package contains about 13 servings.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>I paid $12.49 after a $3.00 off coupon for the box of 66 oz. (4 lb 2 oz).</div><div><br></div><div>I remember making sweet and sour chicken from scratch about 20 years ago. It took all afternoon and the taste was no better than this Crazy Cuizine Orange Chicken.</div><div><br></div>Jeanne Rambo Hawkinshttps://plus.google.com/104935320251360578103noreply@blogger.com1